We have been down the registration path before. During the second
world war the government attempted to register all long guns without
success. They were forced to scrap the undertaking. The Handgun
Registry, started in 1934, attempted to stop crime by registering the
handguns of law-abiding citizens. It has proven a failure as handguns
are still the criminal firearm of choice and used in 85% of the
violent crimes in Canada. The registration has been a huge financial
burden to Canadians.
Government statistics indicate the Handgun Registry has cost
approximately $610 million for 61 years or an average of $10 million
dollars per year. Wendy Cukier, National Director of the Coalition for
Gun Control has said, on a number of occasions, that the old Handgun
Registry cost $30 million per year to operate. She indicates that the
new Firearms Act will cost 60 million dollars a year to operate and
the tax payers should be happy. As usual, Professor Cukier has
trouble with math and her calculations have been proven to be totally
incompetent. Professor Cukier's math problems has surfaced in the past
on nationally broadcasted radio and television shows. Professor
Cukier's statistics are unfounded and without credible substantiation.
The federal Liberals and the gun control fanatics allege that
registering long rifles and shotguns as well as handguns will save
lives. Let's look at the facts. The gun control fanatics keep making
reference to the 1,000 lives lost each year to the use of firearms.
They suggest the new Firearms Act will save lives. Here are the facts
as it relates to firearms deaths in Canada in 1999:
1) Homicide, by firearm
In 1999, there was a total of 151
homicides by firearms.
No common sense required. Criminals have not registered their
handguns under the previous system that dates back to 1934. In 60+
years of handgun registration, it has been proven that any type of gun
control doesn't eliminate or stop criminals from getting guns. Please
note, that the top Hell's Angel did prove to all Canadians that
the federal Liberals Firearms Act is the biggest joke ever. Not only
did Hell's Angels top dog
Maurice
'Mom' Boucher prove that licensing is poorly administrated.
Boucher went on to prove that he went on to register three pump-action
shotguns and a 9-mm pistol. We always knew that the Firearms Act had
serious shortcomings, but this put the icing on the cake. Obviously,
anyone can get a license and register firearms. Nothing in licensing
will reduce the criminal use of firearms and with this kind of
bureaucratic incompetency, anyone can get a license.
Get the feeling you have read this before?
Violent Males - A piece of paper that says the gun is
registered will not stop domestic homicides. When domestic disputes
take place, it would be impossible to think that if a gun was not
registered or if a male was not licensed that it would stop that male
from reaching for a gun or from using an alternate weapon. Again, the
thought of trying to fix domestic disputes by waging a billion dollar
war on Duck Hunters is not the answer. Shame that a billion dollars
was flushed down the toilet when it could of gone into community
programs to help domestic violence.
2) Suicides - In 1999, there was a total of
802 people who killed themselves
with a firearm.
In 1999 a total of 802 people
killed themselves with a firearm. Yet 3,272 killed themselves with
non-firearms. Just because there is no firearm this will not bring a
suicidal person to sanity to realize that its wrong to take their own
lives. As tragic as it is, their frame of mind is far from normal if
they are trying to kill themselves. Even if the firearm was not
registered, a mentally ill person will still use it if they are so
determined to do so.
3) Fatal Gun Accidents - In 1999, there was a total of
37 people
accidentally killed with a firearm.
Regardless of care taken by responsible people, there will always be
accidents. This applies to the operation of a motor vehicle, caving,
mountain climbing, or crossing the street. The federal Liberals
purport to support hunter training and firearm safety training courses
as part of their overall plan to increase firearms safety and reduce
the number of firearm accidents. Then they cancel federal funding to
the SAFE program in Saskatchewan because of a lack of resources. This
is typical of the hypocritical attitude displayed by the federal
Liberals as it relates to firearm safety. It has been proven since the
inception of the Handgun Registry in 1934 that registration will not
prevent accidental firearm deaths, especially if there is no funding.
Common sense dictates that licensing firearms owners will have the
same effect - none.
Summary
House of Commons Debates: Friday, October 11, 2002: Mr. Garry
Breitkreuz (Yorkton-Melville, Canadian Alliance): Mr. Speaker,
handgun registration has been mandatory for the past 68 years. Now
Statistics Canada tells us that homicides with handguns has more than
doubled in the past 28 years. On the other hand, homicides with rifles
and shotguns have dropped steadily from 64% to 27%. The evidence is
clear. Registering the firearms of millions of law-abiding citizens
does not reduce crime, suicides or accidental deaths. When will the
Minister look at the facts and scrap this billion dollar boondoggle?
This registry is fatally flawed and unworkable. "The provinces
have registered 18.1 million vehicles in Canada, each one with the
owner's name on it.", said Garry Breitkruez, Canadian Alliance MP -
Official Opposition of the Firearms Act. "How can the provinces get
it so right and the justice department and the federal government get
it so wrong?", Breitkruez says in the House of Commons on May 27,
2002. Read more Quick Facts
here.
Overall, the gun control fanatics state the fact 1,000 people die
each year from guns and that gun control is crime control. When Wendy
Cukier, National Director of the Coalition for Gun Control, during a
debate with Bruce Hutton, former RCMP officer and founder of LUFA, was
asked repeatedly, "How will Bill C-68 reduce crime (gang violence),
domestic violence and suicides?" She couldn't answer the question.
Does she think Canadians are that stupid? She should know that we
will not accept a typical political answer. We want facts. When
these gun control fanatics are pressed or questioned on this issue
they reply, "I have stacks of facts at home." Why don't they present
their information to the public the next time they are on a national
televised debate.
The reason they don't or can't bring their facts to the debate is
because there aren't any to support their argument.
Obviously registration of firearms will not reduce Homicides,
Suicides and Accidental deaths in Canada. Anyone with any common
sense can see that. We challenge anyone to publicly debate this
issue.
Next, confiscation...
